Celebrity deaths that shocked the entertainment world in 2023

Nitesh Pandey

The popular television actor passed away due to a heart attack in Maharashtra on Wednesday. Pandey was best remembered as Dheeraj Kapoor from the television show Anupamaa. The Uttarakhand-born actor’s other notable outings include shows such as Ek Prem Kahani, Saaya, Justajoo, and Durgesh Nandini, among others.

Chandrakant Desai

The acclaimed art director was found dead on August 2 at his ND Studio in Khalapur Raigad near Karjat. Desai allegedly died by suicide. Desai was known for designing the lavish sets of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Jodha Akbar, Lagaan and Devdas. He also worked on movies like 1942: A Love Story, Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Baadshah, Munnabhai M.B.B.S., and Once Upon a Time in Mumbai. The last big-budget movies where Desai was roped in for art direction were Panipat and Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo.  The last rites of the National Award-winning art director was held  at his studio in Karjat in the presence of family members and colleagues. His company had defaulted on a Rs 252 crore loan repayment to creditors and the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal had initiated insolvency proceedings against it.

Satish Kaushik

Veteran actor Satish Kaushik died on March 8 after suffering a heart attack. He was 66. An alumnus of the National School of Drama (NSD), Satish Kaushik had a stellar career in the Hindi film industry that spanned nearly three decades. His breakout role was Calendar in Mr India (1987), and he went on to star in several critical and commercial hits. He was also a director with more than 15 films to his credit, including Tere Naam, Badhaai Ho Badhaai, and Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain.
 

Vaibhavi Upadhyaya

Actor Vaibhavi Upadhyaya, best known for her role in the TV show Sarabhai vs Sarabhai: Take 2, died in a road accident on May 22. Upadhyaya was travelling in a Fortuner in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh when her SUV fell into a gorge. She was with her fiancé who escaped with minor injuries.